Knicks Rumors: Will Bynum, Watson, Harris, Brand
The Knicks are expected to be well into the luxury tax for next season, but that won't stop them from trying to improve their team, especially given the allure of the Madison Square Garden spotlight. Here's the latest:
- The Knicks are looking for a point guard to replace the retired Jason Kidd, and have Will Bynum, C.J. Watson and Devin Harris on their radar, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post, who identifies Bynum as tops on that list. They're also looking for a backup big man, with Elton Brand and Lamar Odom under consideration, along with incumbent Kenyon Martin.
- J.R. Smith believes he'll get an offer that exceeds the maximum of approximately $5.4MM that the Knicks can give him, Berman adds. The Bucks, Pistons and Suns are considering Smith.
- The Knicks are resigned to the idea that Chris Copeland will sign elsewhere for more money, according to Berman. More than half a dozen other NBA teams are chasing Copeland. Berman believes the team may try to work out a sign-and-trade involving Copeland that would net a trade exception around $4MM, allowing the Knicks to bring aboard another player that way. The Knicks are also open to the idea of trading Steve Novak, Berman writes.
- The Knicks like Mike Dunleavy and Marco Belinelli, but they're prioritizing a point guard instead with their mini mid-level, according to Berman.
- GM Glen Grunwald and company hope proven veterans will become available in trades, and likely would be willing to part with anyone other than Carmelo Anthony for the right deal, Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports.
Bucks Make Qualifying Offer To Brandon Jennings
The Bucks have formally extended a qualifying offer to Brandon Jennings, GM John Hammond confirmed today (Twitter link via Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Because Jennings met the starter criteria this past season, his QO will be worth $4,531,459, a slight bump up from what it would have been otherwise.
There have been a few rumblings lately suggesting the Bucks wouldn't mind signing-and-trading Jennings, or keeping Monta Ellis over him. However, Hammond indicated today that the team intends for Jennings to remain a Buck, according to Gardner (via Twitter). Hammond went on to say that the club hopes to negotiate with its young guard, and if a deal can't be reached with Jennings directly, the plan would be to match a rival offer sheet (Twitter links via Gardner).
It's unclear at this point whether Jennings prefers to stay in Milwaukee long-term or play elsewhere. While the Bucks have the majority of the control over his current situation, Jennings could accept his one-year qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Jennings suggested back in March that he'd consider that possibility.
Ricky Ledo To Mavs, Nate Wolters To Bucks
11:27am: The Mavs' press release announcing the trade indicates that Ledo's rights were acquired by Dallas from the Sixers, so perhaps Atlanta wasn't involved as a middle-man after all. In exchange for Ledo, the Mavs sent Philadelphia the Nets' 2014 second-rounder that Dallas had originally acquired from Boston earlier in the evening.
FRIDAY, 10:56am: The Bucks have officially announced the acquisition of Wolters (Twitter link). According to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter), Milwaukee sent a future second-round pick and Ledo to the Sixers in order to snag Wolters. From there, tweets Gardner, Ledo's rights went from Philadelphia to Atlanta to Dallas.
THURSDAY, 11:14pm: We'll have to wait for official confirmation from the various teams involved in these deals to determine where everyone ended up, but by my estimation, it looks like the Bucks landed Wolters, the Mavs acquired Ledo, and the Hawks ended up with Muscala.
10:54pm: As confusion abounds, the Mavs have confirmed they acquired Ledo from the Sixers, tweets Katz.
10:50pm: ESPN.com's Andy Katz breaks it down (via Twitter): The Sixers selected Nate Wolters at No. 38 as part of the Glen Rice Jr. trade, then traded Wolters to the Bucks for Ledo. Philadelphia then sent Ledo to the Hawks, and according to Katz, Ledo could be on the move yet again (Twitter link).
10:46pm: Various reports are now suggesting that Ledo will end up landing in Philadephia or Atlanta, so we may have to wait this one out to get total clarity.
10:32pm: The Mavericks have agreed to acquire the 43rd overall pick from the Bucks and will use it to select Ricky Ledo, reports Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Goodman (via Twitter), the Mavs will send pick No. 44 to Milwaukee, and the Bucks will select Mike Muscala.
It had been previously reported that the 44th overall pick was ticketed for Atlanta in an earlier deal, though that trade was said to be"still evolving," so maybe the Mavs were able to keep the pick out of the swap.
Draft Updates: Raptors, Bucks, Mavs, Cavs
As the first round continues to roll along in Brooklyn, let's round up a few odds and ends from draft night….
- The Raptors "went hard" after the 13th overall pick, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter). However, it doesn't look like the Raps will be trading into the draft now, says Wolstat (via Twitter).
- The Bucks don't intend to stash Giannis Antetokounmpo overseas, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who says (via Twitter) that Milwaukee will bring the "Greek Freak" stateside immediately.
- The Mavericks intend to keep No. 18 pick Shane Larkin, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com. Dallas wanted to avoid the cap hold attached to a first-round pick, but that cap hold was made marginally smaller by the move down from No. 13. The team also shed some salary by sending Jared Cunningham to Atlanta.
- A source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that Cavaliers GM Chris Grant's "need to fleece teams in trades has cost him tonight" (Twitter link). Although they were rumored to be discussing a ton of deals, the Cavs haven't been active so far tonight.
Mid-Draft Rumors: Noel, 76ers, Warriors, Suns
You can follow tonight's draft picks right here, but we're hearing plenty of other rumblings outside of the picks themselves. Let's round up a few….
- One executive whose team passed on Nerlens Noel told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Kentucky big man is actually healthier than Anthony Bennett or Alex Len, so injury concerns weren't the reason Noel slipped.
- The blockbuster trade the Sixers made, acquiring Noel and a 2014 first-rounder for Jrue Holiday, signals one reason the team hasn't hired a coach yet, tweets Broussard. With a rebuild seemingly on the way, the 76ers wanted a new head coach to know what he was getting into.
- The Warriors are receiving calls on Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, but value both players "very, very, very highly," according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (via Twitter).
- The Suns drafted Alex Len to keep him, and have no deals in place, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
- A Luke Ridnour/Ekpe Udoh swap between the Timberwolves and Bucks won't happen tonight, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- The Cavs are in the process of trying to move up from No. 19, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
Draft Notes: Cavs, Kings, McLemore, Karasev
Here's the latest news as we get set for the Draft to get underway from the Barclays Center..
- The Cavs haven't found a taker for the No. 1 pick yet, but it's not for a lack of trying. One source tells Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (via Twitter) that they still haven't given up on finding a trade.
- The Kings have been aggressive in trying to move up from No. 7 in the draft, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Their likely target is Kansas guard Ben McLemore.
- The Kings could find a partner in the Suns who pick at No. 5 and are looking to drop back, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
- Sergey Karasev left private interviews in Russia confident that he'll be in the top 15 and hope that he'll be a top ten pick, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Discussions with several teams continued even after the interviews and the Bucks’ apparent interest has fueled belief that the 19-year-old won’t last beyond No. 15.
- The Knicks remain enamored with German guard Dennis Schroeder at No. 24 but they understand that he's unlikely to slip to them, Wojnarowski tweets. The Jazz like Schroeder (14, 21) and there's little chance that the Nets (22) and Pacers (23) let him reach the Knicks (link).
- Teams are getting a clear message from the Wizards: they do not want to part with their No. 3 pick, tweets Berger.
- More from Berger (link), who tweets that Miami guard Shane Larkin has attracted the interest of the Jazz at No. 14 and Milwaukee at No. 15.
- After two workouts, N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie shut it down with teams and he's expected to be selected in the 30s, tweets Wojnarowski.
Wojnarowski On Draft, Len, Zeller, Bucks, Mavs
Here's the latest draft news from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, with all links going to Twitter..
- It's becoming harder to see how Anthony Bennett won't take a tumble in tonight's draft and he could leave the Blazers with a choice to make at No. 10 (link).
- Other lottery teams are supremely confident that the Magic will take Victor Oladipo at No. 2, but Orlando is still talking trade, tweets Wojnarowski.
- The Cavs are choosing between Nerlens Noel and Alex Len at No. 1. If they pick Len, Noel could fall to the Suns at No. 5 (link).
- Alex Len is still the favorite for the Bobcats if he's there at No. 4, but Cody Zeller has remained in constant dialogue, sources tell Wojnarowski.
- Zeller is in strong consideration for the Bobcats at No. 4 and the Suns at No. 5, sources say. If C.J. McCollum goes to the Pelicans at No. 6 or the Kings at No. 7, then the Pistons, who pick 8th, have Zeller high on their board.
- The Bucks have discussed swapping their No. 15 pick for the Mavs' No. 13 pick to solidify itself to take Russian swingman Sergey Karasev, according to sources. However, Milwaukee is worried that the 13th pick may not be high enough to grab Karasev (link). The 6'7" Russian appears to be a hot commodity as we heard that the Cavs would also like to get their hands on the Mavs' pick in order to take him.
- League sources say that Celtics GM Danny Ainge brought guard Ray McCallum to Boston's facility for a workout yesterday in the event that he moves back from No. 16.
- Some are shying away from North Texas forward Tony Mitchell but he could find a home with the T-Wolves at No. 26, according to league sources. Flip Saunders was impressed with his workout and there's no question that he has high-lottery talents (link).
- Everyone in the lottery says that they are extremely impressed by the NBA readiness of IU products Zeller and Oladipo.
Bucks Notes: Jennings, Udoh, Ridnour
This figures to be a very interesting offseason in Milwaukee following Monta Ellis' decision to opt out and several other moving parts. Here's the latest on the Bucks..
- The Bucks are letting it be known that Brandon Jennings is available for the right price, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (via Twitter). If the Bucks do decide to get rid of Jennings, Woelfel (Twitter link) expects them to make a major push for a point guard in free agency.
- More from Woelfel, who hears that a swap involving the Bucks' Ekpe Udoh and the T'Wolves' Luke Ridnour is being discussed. Ridnour spent two seasons in Milwaukee prior to his last three in Minnesota.
Ford On Antetokounmpo, Cavs, Jazz, Thunder
Chad Ford of ESPN.com has posted his latest draft day rumblings and we have the highlights..
- The excitement over Giannis Antetokounmpo might be fading a bit as teams want the raw prospect to stay in Greece for a couple of years while he wants to come to the NBA now. For GMs who don't think he's ready, that means that he will make for a very expensive D-League player.
- If the Cavs can't trade the No. 1 overall pick for a veteran plus a 2014 lottery pick, they'll keep attempting to move whomever they draft until all their options have been exercised. That could be a tall order since the hardest asset for a team to get right now is a 2014 lottery pick. Ford puts the odds at 95 percent that no potential 2014 lottery pick is moved tonight.
- The teams working hardest to move up higher in the lottery are the Jazz, Wolves and Thunder. The Jazz appear to be targeting Lehigh's C.J. McCollum and are offering picks No. 14 and 21, but they might have to give up Alec Burks as well to get high enough.
- The Wolves are also trying to get up very high in an attempt to land Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore. As we've heard, they're dangling the No. 9 pick, No. 26 pick, and Derrick Williams.
- The Thunder want a big man – they like Nerlens Noel and Alex Len – but they don't have a ton to offer. Movable assets like Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones, and possibly Reggie Jackson don't have enormous trade value. Their own pick next year won't be high and the Mavs pick that they own is top-20 protected next year.
- The Bobcats (No. 4) and Kings (No. 7) look like the two teams most willing to move down.
- A ton of teams want the Mavs' No. 13 pick. The Cavs have been the most proactive but the Bucks, Hawks, and Nets are also in the mix. In virtually every case, the target is Sergey Karasev. Trouble is, the Sixers or Thunder could grab him before 13.
- The Celtics are trying to pick up a late-first or early-second-round pick and sources say their target is Missouri's Phil Pressey if they decide to go big with their first pick.
Several Teams Eyeing J.R. Smith, Chris Copeland
8:51pm: Zwerling and ESPN colleague Chris Broussard add the Suns to the list of teams interested in Smith, while the Mavs, Pacers, Lakers, Thunder, Raptors, Jazz and Wizards are in the market for Copeland, according to their report.
7:36pm: The Bucks have strong interest in J.R. Smith, and they're also interested in fellow Knicks free agent Chris Copeland, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Milwaukee will have plenty of cap space, presuming the team doesn't re-sign many of its own free agents, so Milwaukee can outbid New York.
Fellow ESPNNewYork.com scribe Ian Begley noted Milwaukee's interest in Smith last night, pointing to the Pistons as another team eyeing the reigning Sixth Man of the Year. It's unclear whether the interest from either Smith or Copeland is mutual. Both have spoken about their desire to remain in New York, though John Spencer, Copeland's agent, said in May that money would be a key for his client this summer.
The taxpaying Knicks have Early Bird rights on Smith, but that limits them to a four year deal with a starting salary at either 175% of his previous salary, which would be $5,132,298, or 104.5% of the league average salary, whichever is greater. We won't know the league's official average salary calculation until July, but it's expected to be around that same amount.
While Smith is an unrestricted free agent, Copeland is on the restricted market, meaning the Knicks have the right to match offers after having extended him a qualifying offer today, worth $988,872 for one year. Copeland is a Non-Bird free agent, and the best the Knicks could do for him would be a four-year deal starting at $3.183MM via the taxpayer's mid-level exception. If the Knicks somehow find a way to dip below the tax apron, which appears unlikely, New York could get help via the Gilbert Arenas Provision, which limits other teams to offers with a starting salary of no more than the non-taxpayer's mid-level. The Pelicans are another team that's shown interest in the forward who's coming off a surprisingly impressive rookie year.